You just never know what you might find here from day to day! Wherever my imagination goes, so will you. Wherever my mood takes me, you'll go along as well. Recipes, ideas or just random thoughts - you never know what you might find!!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

GUESS WHAT! Tomorrow is March 1st, know what that means! SPRING is on it's way and I for one cannot wait. "Oh God of Spring, bless us and come early this year for the cold long months of winter have taken their toll on this poor body of mine". Sorry, got a little carried away there. But seriously, I seen some little daffodil heads popping up yesterday and it made my little ole' heart leap with joy. There is hope after all! Just looking at this picture makes me feel better!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's not only the passion... Mom she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it. Don't worry Mom. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, your son Paul

P.S. Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at Dustin's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer. I love you. Call me when it's safe to come home.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Adolescence is perhaps nature's way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Teenagers - need I say more. Well yea, cause that's kinda what this post is about. You see, 16 years ago I gave birth to this wonderful little red-headed baby girl. She was the sweetest thing you could ever ask for. Never a discipline problem, always ready to play, very interested in everything. Yea, I'll say it, she was almost perfect. Up until this past year we had the most enjoyable daughter you could ever ask for. What happened you ask? No, that's what I'm asking. It seems as though some sort of beast has decided to take up residence inside our precious little angel and this being has no type of resemblance to an angel (trust me, I've seen the horns). Kenz is my youngest. I have 2 older children and they definitely tested my parenting skills. Now I'm thinking OK, you've raised two already, you've got to have some type of "step-up" on this. WRONG!!!! I don't care how you prepare for your child, I don't care how you raise them or how much love you show them, that thing called "the teenage years" will consume your precious little loved one. Our daughter used to do this thing that we all call talking now when I ask a question, if I'm lucky, I get some kind of noise that comes from deep within my child (I'm assuming it's the beast trying to communicate with me). I'm also wondering if she has learned some kind of new language that I have not been able to figure out (texting still has me baffled). Hmmmm, I know this is a phase and I know someday, my precious little angel will again re-emerge, but until that day, we'll have to learn to live with the "Beast Within".

QUOTE OF THE DAY: It's difficult to decide whether growing pains are something teenagers have - or are. ~Author Unknown

She was a beautiful sight, blue eyes and red hairShe was a blessing, wish you could’ve been there

Such a joy to be around, and never to weepExcept for at night when we needed our sleep

Her best friend was Barney,a huge purple dinosaurShe’d watch show after show till we couldn’t take it anymore.

Because of her shyness we introduced her to danceBoy did she blossom, the audience never stood a chance

Sports came soon after and her father was proudBecause she loved to perform and could entertain the crowd.

She kept us quite busy, there was always something to tryAnd before we knew it 16 years had went by.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I recently watched the movie - The Devil's Playground, which was about the Amish teenagers going through rumspringa. I was astounded at how so many of the Amish teenagers turn to cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. I mean it's one thing to experience the English world but it's another to turn to all the evils of the world. You would think that would be the last thing they would want to mess around with. I can understand going to the movies, riding in a car, using a computer, things like that, but I would've never thought they'd turn to substances that would take the purity from their bodies. I was actually afraid some of them would die from alcohol poisoning or an overdose. There are many things the Amish do that raise eyebrows, but this right of passage makes no sense to me. Over the past year I have read several books written by Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis that are Amish themed (which I wholeheartedly recommend). The simplicity of their lives is very captivating to me however I know it would be no cake walk. I like my modern conveniences but at the same time, wouldn't it be wonderful to get up in the morning and know that the work you have ahead in your day will be spent at home taking care of those you love.Awwww, that just warms my heart!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

Monday, February 23, 2009

One of my new friends here in the blogging world is going through quite a horrendous challenge right now and with that being said, it gave me a thought.

Why is it when we are trying to recover from something that has brought us a tremendous amount of pain and is creating havoc with our everyday lives, that we have to go through even more pain to rid ourselves of it. Excuse me, something is not right here. Is this someone's idea of a joke because being hurt the first time is bad enough, but to have to re-live those things again in order to make sense of them - makes no sense at all. It's no wonder most of us go through life with all kinds of baggage, it costs too much to get rid of.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Wanted to share this joke I received yesterday from a co-worker. Hope it brings a smile to your face ;)

Yesterday I was buying a 2 large bags of Purina dog chow at Walmart, for my dog Wendy. I was about to check out when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.What did she think, that I had an elephant? Since I had little else to do, on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the hospital last time. On the bright side though, I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of every hole in my body and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was enthralled with my story by now.) Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food had poisoned me. I told her no; I had stopped in the middle of the parking lot to lick my butt and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard! WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue."

Friday, February 20, 2009

When the Jenkins family takes a road trip, one of our favorite things to do is to play the "favorite" game. So in that spirit, I've decided to dedicate Fridays to just that. This week I've decided to list 5 places that would be my favorite to go to on vacation (money not being an issue). Feel free to play along, at best, we get to know each other a little bit better.

The first place I would choose would be Greece. I love the color of the water. It's just seems so beautiful!

My next pick would be Mallorca, Spain. I am a huge Rafael Nadal fan and really feel the need to stop by the ole homestead and have a chat with him and the family. (he's the #1 men's tennis player right now)

Next, off to Texas I go! I have always wanted to see horses running wild and work on a Dude Ranch (well maybe not work but you get the point).

Now we're off to the Smokey Mountains. Have been there more times than I can count and still cannot get over how majestic they are.

Last but certainly not least, St. Thomas. Don't know why, have just always wanted to go.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

One of my dreams has been to start a retreat where people can come to get "back to the basics" of their lives. In my mind I have about 100 mountainous wooded acres that wrap around a large lake with log cabins strategically placed for privacy. A huge stable with horses and lots of trails to be ridden that are wound throughout the area. In the lake there are paddle boats and canoes so that one can go out into the middle and just listen to nothing at all. My retreat would be a place of healing, not done by any one person, but done simply by nature. I believe deep within our core, we are a simplistic being and at times, the simple things are what is needed to become centered again. It's very easy to get wrapped up in family strife, work, bills etc. Over a period of time we become numb to the gifts that were given to us to help ease these pressures. That's where my retreat comes in. There's no schedule, no meetings, no counseling just you and the great outdoors. Now tell me, what could be better than that!! I'll keep dreaming and maybe someday you will come across a brochure that invites you to get "Back to the Basics".

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

About Me

Who am I? I am a woman who wants all that life can give. I want to see as much of this world as possible and experience things I could only dream of. I want to ride in a hot air balloon, cruise from island to island on a huge ship, travel by train in the back country where nothing has been touched by man. I want to experince all the highs and lows of being a wife, mother and grandmother. I WANT IT ALL!!